Page 72 of The Do-Over
She would probably never hear from him again.
Even the discovery she had made about his history with his father didn’t really feel like it changed anything. She’d been shocked and sorry to learn that his father had been violent, of course, and she no longer blamed Rob for getting out when he had. But even so, he wasn’t going to want to come back now. There was no chance he’d ever want anything to do with Deer Ridge again. The place just held too many painful memories for him. The same thing that had driven him away all those years ago would drive him away again now. Even if he had rediscovered feelings for her, those feelings hadn’t kept him here in the past. There was no reason to believe they would now.
Once more, she thought about the possibility of going with him. Going to Chicago. She could find work there.
But he hadn’t asked her to come to Chicago. It was ridiculous to think about uprooting her life for someone who had given no indication that he wanted her to do that.
She got to her feet. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s look up some things about your career on the internet. Articles about the award they’re giving you, things like that. That way you can prepare for tonight.”
She didn’t say so, but she hoped that seeing the details of his accomplishments might help his memory return. She knew he would feel better about what he was facing if he had even a few memories to help him in the right direction.
Even though the return of his memories would drive him away from her, she still hoped for it.
They sat in front of the computer, and Thea searched his name. Immediately the screen was flooded with links to articles about his many medical achievements. She clicked open a few of them.
“Do you want me to stay while you read these?” she asked.
He shook his head slowly. “Maybe I’d better look through them on my own. That way I’ll be able to focus.”
His voice was a little hollow, and she got the feeling he was upset about the things he was seeing, but he’d asked to be on his own. “I won’t be far,” she said. “I’ll go into the kitchen and make us some breakfast.”
He nodded absently. “That sounds good.”
She gazed at him for a moment, trying to sort out the hidden meaning behind his words, trying to figure out whether he really did need her here. What if something he saw needed to be put into context?
But what context could I really offer him? I know nothing about his life.
She got out the ingredients for French toast and started a pot of coffee brewing. If nothing else, she could offer him a hot breakfast while he worked to put the missing pieces of his life back into place.
